Games

Nazi indoctrination of the German population began early, with children being deliberately targeted through the National Socialist educational system, and through the formation of groups such as the Hitler Youth and the League of German Girls. As well as this, board games with antisemitic and pro-Nazi messages proliferated and were a particularly insidious reflections of Nazi policies. Bomber über England for example, was a pinball style game in which players scored points by hitting strategically important enemy targets on a map of England and parts of northern Europe. While not all such games were explicitly endorsed by the Nazis (Juden Raus for example, came in for criticism from the regime), the themes and messages they propagated reveal the antisemitism running through society at that time.

Führer Quartett Spiel (1935). A set of 60 cards showing images of Hitler and other high ranking Nazi functionaries. Each card is labelled with a number and letter (1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, IB, 2B, 3B etc.). After the cards had been shuffled and dealt, the aim of the game was to assemble each of these quartets.

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Adolf Hitler Legespiel. This game is made up of a number of differently shaped blocks which can be assembled in different ways to create words and symbols associated with the Nazi party, such as a swastika and the name ‘Hitler’.

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Laf en Flink Tijdens Hinkepink. Similar to Snakes and Ladders, the game depicts the time of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands until the end of the war, 10 May 1940 – 5 May 1945. Throwing a dice, players move along the playing field and deal with issues around living in an occupied country. If a player lands on particular events or deeds e.g. listen to the BBC, being arrested, they have to move forward or backwards.